Sources insist next Xbox announcement in 2012

Sources in Asia insist to us that the whispers we have been hearing for several months that Microsoft continues to work toward an unveiling of the next generation Xbox (or the 720, if you will) will be unveiled at the 2012 E3. If the whispers are true, Microsoft is planning to show off the new console; but it does not plan to release it until later down the road, which has been suggested as perhaps a holiday 2012 release or a spring 2013 release.

Our sources claim that Microsoft has been pricing potential parts and talking to senior people in Asia to project pricing and availability to get the unit packaged and assembled. Of course, this does not do any good unless Microsoft plans to have software ready for the release.

Developers that we have spoken with indicate that Microsoft has yet to brief them on their plans for a new console. Talking to developers would be critical in order to have titles ready to show prior to the release of the console.

We have heard a number of different variations of the story that will just not seem to go away. Microsoft, of course, has offered no comment (because as you know, they don’t comment on rumors and speculation). We believe that Microsoft will not talk about anything that could cost them sales of the Xbox 360 right now. Expect a lot more ink to be spilled, so to speak, talking about this before we know what the real truth is. At this point all we can tell you is what we are hearing; but when you combine this with what we have seen other places on the Internet it is hard to believe that it is all talk.